1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink acceptor such as a printing paper used as a recording medium and a recording method using the same. More particularly, it relates to an ink acceptor used suitably in a recording method by an ink-jet printing system and a recording method using the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a recording medium to be used for printing systems such as heat transfer, PPC, pen plotter, ink-jet printing, etc., various ink acceptors suited to each printing system have hitherto been commercially available. Since printing using an ink-jet printing system has recently been popularized rapidly, an ink acceptor suited for the ink-jet printing system has been studied and developed.
The following characteristics are normally required as necessary conditions to the ink acceptor used in the ink-jet printing:
(a) The absorption capacity of ink is large; PA0 (b) The absorption rate of ink is fast; PA0 (c) The optical density of dots is high and no blur arise on the periphery of dots; and PA0 (d) The shape of dots is nearly round and its outline is not irregular.
To satisfy such requirements, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-17129 discloses a recording medium wherein an ink accepting layer provided on a substrate contains polyvinyl alcohol, polyalkylene oxide and a hydrophilic acrylic resin.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-149040 discloses a recording paper wherein an ink accepting layer contains polyvinyl pyrrolidone and a basic (meth)acrylate copolymer.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 7-257023 discloses an ink-jet printing sheet containing a water-soluble vinyl polymer, a (meth)acrylate polymer and a water-soluble cellulose.
An ink-jet printer has recently been popularized and it has become popular to print a color image by using the ink-jet printing apparatus. A photo-type ink-jet printing apparatus (e.g. PM-700C manufactured by SEIKO EPSON CORP., etc.) has also been popularized. Since color printing is performed by using six color inks in this type, it is necessary that a colorant in ink is rapidly fixed on the surface of an ink acceptor so as to prevent inks of different color from mixing on the surface of the ink acceptor on printing.
With wide popularization of the ink-jet printing apparatus in general offices and homes, high water resistance has been required to a print so that blur of the print does not arise even if tea or water are spilled on an ink acceptor by accident.
However, a conventional ink acceptor as described above had a drawback that a colorant contained in ink can not be fixed in a short time and, furthermore, a print is easily blurred when water is spilled thereon because of insufficient water resistance.